Social and internal factors influencing the child care preferences and choices of immigrant mothers

Abstract

Despite findings that indicate several benefits of formal child care for immigrant children, immigrant families are less likely than nonimmigrants to utilize formal care. While several concrete factors have been identified by prior research as barriers to usage of formal child care, such as high cost and low availability, little is known about potential internal beliefs and processes, such as worry and trust, or social factors, such as social support and attitudes toward maternal employment, that are involved in the preferences and decision-making processes of immigrant parents. The current study seeks to explore the social and internal factors that influence the child care preferences and choices of both immigrant and nonimmigrant mothers. A small sample of first-time mothers, recruited from urban and suburban prenatal clinics, were followed from pregnancy through their child's first three years. In order to best capture the complex, dynamic processes that are involved in the child care decision, the study of this cohort took a prospective, qualitative, longitudinal approach. Understanding these decision-making processes may inform policymakers and child care providers in efforts to improve family engagement and target child care to better meet the needs and concerns of both immigrant and nonimmigrant families, thus providing more families with the opportunity to take advantage of the benefits of formal care.^